The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-07-04
Che lntelliIQetttrfx.
wHEELlNo, ". VA. JULY 4. 1887.
FOURTH OF JULY.


FOURTH OF JULY.
Tho American Experiment Thus Far.
AftOr tho Declaration Of Independence
had been signed, John Adams wrote to his
vile that this great act would be immort.
al, and would become cause Of rejoicing
TO unborn millions on this continent, and
that at each recurIcuce Of It's anniversary
1t would be appropriately celebrated by
every demonstration Of joy and gratitude
as long CO posterity should appreciate its
significance.
Tho fathers OF this Republic had pro-
found realization Of the Importance OF the
stop thoy had taken on tho 4th Of July,
1873. They knew that they had initiated
great experiment; one that had failed
In all Its crude attempts in the past, but
nevertheless they hoped and believed in
tho language Of Abraham Lincoln that "a
government Of The people, by the people
and for the people," could be SO founded
aa to endure. @
Not quite hundred yeain have passed
away aimee the atep which they inaugura.
ted by tho Declaration OF Independence
took the shape OF Constitution and Gov.
eminent. A hundred years 10 not long
time in tho bietory OF uation, and still
leas in the history Of the world. Still our
form Of government has been subjected to
great deal OF strain In that time. Its
hard to conceive OF greater strain than
that through which 1t passed in the late
war. While powerlesa to infringe upon
the rights OF the weakest Of its citizens, it
proved powerful enough to cope with the
most gigantic rebellion the world ever saw.
Therefore, to the entire satisfaction Of the
world, 1t passed ono great crucial test Of
its capacity to preserve the blessings Of
liberty" 10 ita people. And therefore the
American people will once more celebrate
this glorious anniversary as John Adams
said 1t should BIO celebrated, with joy and
gratitude. i45
AS to the future, after such measure
Of auccesa in the past, we ought not 10 aeri-
ously doubt our capacity to deal with
trouble as It may arise. Perhaps i. is wise
to Hay sufficient unto the day is the evil
thereof" And yet we cannot, even on
this anniversary, fail TO remember the re-
msrkable prediction OF remarkable man.
: So great thinker and writer as Macaulay
put himself on record before his death as
saying that the American Government had
not met or passed ia greatest strain. That
day would come when its population
would be denser and xhen its cheap lspas
would all be gone. He looked forward to
what wo have seen so much Of in the last
two years, labor troubles. He looked for.
wardto the arrival here observation-disclosures and
dangerous class of European immigrants.
He looked forward 10 the emallnees Of our
standing army and to tho popular disaftec.
ton Of our militia. He looked forward to
the demogogism Of politicians and agitatorH
who would successfully seek, in his opin.
ion, to array the poor against the rich,
when the pinch Of hard timesnhould come.
It would look like borrowing un-
ecessary trouble 70 discuss these pessi.
mistic Vaccinations Of oven go great q
man as Maeaulay. To begin with he had
no faith in government like ours, and
he did not believe that the musses had
either the virtue or the intelligence 10
Withstand appeals to their jeGlouby, envy,
and cupidity by unscrupulous lcsdera in
times Of depression, labor troubles and
lack Of the comforts Of life. He.reauoned
from what he was familiar with in Europe,
where social degradation, abjec! want,
ignorance and clrss hatred are SO much
more common than il, this country. He
reasoned also without estimating the
forces that aro ut work in this country to
produce the utmost diyersidcation CT
human employment, chief OF which is
universal education, and he also failed to
appreciate that great famines arc never
likely to occur in country Of auch various
crops and climates as ours. 81 +
Still while thus diecreditiny the predic.
tons OF Macaulsy as a whole as regards
the future Of this country we may very
appropriately reject whether any Of
, their phases arc Of probable occurrence
The foreign dangera upon our soil are per-
+ hsps to-day our greatest cause OF appre-
henslon. We have large and an increas-
ing peshlentisl class Of European paupera,
criminals aud adventurers in all our large
cities. They arc organizing and joining
societies for. the promotion Of every hate
and malice against all we'll to DO people.
They abuse freedom by the RIGHTEOUSNESS
Of their appeals to the poor against tho
rich, by their co,lnsols and ius!igations to
arson and murder, and by their declared
readiness TO join in any movement for tho
I overthrow Of exciting social order.
"a We have got 10 deal with this element,
& even il we have to revise all our notions
4 about the freedom Of epeech. We hsye
got 10 revise also all our notions abou.
promiscuous immigration to this country.
It is a great and threatening danger, and
thoughtful people everywhere are open.
ing their eyes to 1t. It Is properfor us
therefore on m anniversary / like this to
consider tho dangers that may beset the
future q our country, and to see that we
/ do not that like tho profsne Esau t'deapises
our birthnght." and, in the case OF adopt.
7 ed citizens ef this great republic, TO appeal
( to them to do all in their power to preserve
unimpaired the priceless boon Of citizen.
ship, greater than the citizenship Of Rome,
4 which they have received in this free
Z land. s.